New York City, N.Y., Dec 2, 2009 / 14:01 pm
On Wednesday Dec. 2, the New York Senate voted 38-24 against a bill to legalize same-sex "marriage" in the state.
“We are extremely pleased that the New York State Senate in a bipartisan vote rejected the concept that marriage can be anything other than the union of one man and one woman,” said Richard E. Barnes, executive director of the New York Catholic Conference on Wednesday.
“It has become clear that Americans continue to understand marriage the way it has been understood, and New York is not different in that regard,” continued Barnes in a statement on the New York Catholic Conference website. “This is a victory for the basic building block of our society.”
The Democratic-controlled state assembly had passed a same-sex “marriage” bill three times in the past with no difficulty but this was the first instance of it being voted on in the Senate. Though New York is politically one of the most liberal states in the U.S, a recent poll has shown the public to be split on the issue of same-sex “marriage.”
Speaking to CNA, Canon lawyer Fr. Gerald Murray commented: "It is wonderful that the State Senate voted down the proposal to change the legal definition of marriage in New York. Pressure from concerned citizens, and notably Catholic voters, had a very good effect."
"We can also thank Democrat Senator Ruben Diaz Jr., who is a Protestant Minister, for his vocal defense of marriage. Civil order and harmony are based on laws founded in truth. To define the union of two men or two women as marriage is to falsify reality. Our laws must reflect reality, not attempt to redefine it."